In Australia - need to buy a car seat for the flight back, please help!

[MilkMonster]

We barely made it to Australia with the 2 kids, neither hubby or I ate or slept the 9hr flight, each of us carrying one of our sons, it was brutal. We took the red-eye that departed at 9pm thinking they would sleep but it didn't work out exactly. My 2yr old couldn't get comfortable enough to sleep deeply and kept crying out of frustration. The worst thing was that our 2yr old could slide out of the seat even with the seat belt on so there was no way to restrain/keep him in the seat besides holding him. haha we're having a great time here but neither hubby or i are looking forward to the flight back!!

i want to buy a car seat here before our flight back (we're in sydney). Is there a baby superstore in the area? A friend told me to buy Britax, are there any other brands of forward facing car seats for a 2 year old that will fit on a Cathay Pacific Plane, and that i can buy here? (The friend who recommended Britax has only used it on Air Canada flights).

Thanks so much in advance for you help!!!

[spockey]

Going to presume you are in Sydney.
Try Babies Galore. I'm only familiar with the North Shore branch. So am giving you directions to a Babies Galore in Chatswood. You can take the North Shore Line to Chatswood. It's in the mall next to Westfield. There's usually lots of mums pushing prams around so just ask.

This is the website:

www.babiesgalore.com.au
http://www.babiesgalore.com.au/locations.php

You may be able to even get them to deliver to your hotel if you order online.

Alternatively, in the city, you can simply head to David Jones or Myer - Both have a decent selection.

[kiwiinoz]

Baby Kingdom is a good place to go. There is one in Bankstown (which might be too far away unless you have a hire car), and one in Alexandria (close to city centre)... If you ask, you can often get a discount on the marked price from them.
http://www.babykingdom.com.au

I'm not sure if you can get britex in OZ, but SafeNSound is one of the best brands out there...
Can you phone cathay and find out the width of their seats? I know they are narrower than most other airlines I have flown.
If you have a measurement, you can ask the shop assistants to look at the measurements for you to see if the carseat fits. I've seen them do this in Baby Kingdom for a lady who had to fit 3 carseats across the back of her car.
You might be able to get away with a booster seat as well... worth going into a store to have a look at the options.

I completely sympathise with your trip over. I had my son crying (and mostly screaming) at least 7 of the 9 hour flight across to HK about a year ago.. admittedly we eventually found out he had a pressurization problem, so we have to give him panadol and sedation on flights now. It is an awful experience to go through... I felt so helpless, exhausted, frustrated and guilty (for making the other passengers endure my sons unrest).
Fingers crossed you have a better flight back!

[karmah1]

You can try Toys R US/Babies R US, they have branches in Moore Park (close to the city) and Chatswood.

www.toysrus.com.au

[Buckeroo]

MM --We use Britax First Class and they fit nicely in the CX seats. I don't know if you can find exactly the same model there in Oz, but maybe you can ask the shops if they carry anything with the same dimensions as the Britax First Class.

Product Depth 62 cm
Product Height 45 cm
Product Weight 7.5kg
Product Width 52 cm

Hope you'll have a smooth trip back.

[aussie mum]

Britax is branded 'Safe n Sound' in Australia

you might not find the exact same model as the Britax one but safe n sound have a huge range so using the dimensions above as a guide you should be able to find one that suits.

are you on a day flight back? we recently had the same problem on a night flight from HK to Brisbane. the 7month old was fine and slept all the way but the almost 3 year old just couldn't sleep in those uncomfortable seats. he moaned and cried and slipped out of the belt. finally fell asleep at 3.30am HK time only to be woken for breakfast at 4.30am!! our return leg was much easier on the 3yr old. he could watch movies and play with his cars and all those good things. the 7month old was a shocker but you can't have everything!!

[0ze_Kid]

milk - so sorry your flight was such a disaster! If you only want the seat for the flight maybe try one of these instead of an expensive car seat.
http://www.kidsflysafe.com/ you can get them in Australia from:
www.littlegulliver.com.au (Melbourne but sure they will post express post so you get it the next day)

You could use it with a booster which will still be cheaper.

May I also suggest some demazin which you can get from the chemist. It is a cold and antihistamine medication (not as strong as phenergin) which will help settle your 2yo and let him rest during the flight. http://www.demazin.com.au/ I am certianly not recommending this but if you talk to the chemist they will be able to advise.

Enjoy your holiday and all the best for the flight back :)

PS: I have ordered "siblings without rivalry" thanks for the advice.

[kiwiinoz]

Actually, I just received an email this morning from ToysRUs NSW... and they have a BabysRUs sale starting tomorrow. The sale catalogue seems to have a few carseats/boosters on sale so it may well be worth a look if you have the time.
The catalogue is here:
http://catalogues.toysrus.com.au/por...tailer/toysrus
(the one on the left).

Let us know how you go MM

Good luck!